Community Corner
Village Remains in Recovery Mode After Sandy
The village board discusses re-planting efforts.
More than a month after Superstorm Sandy barreled through Garden City, the village remains in recovery mode.
According to one concerned resident who pointed out the distinction in the species of trees that had fallen during the storm, the board has started thinking about replanting and rebuilding.
“I’m suggesting that we don’t lose the fact that we are a tree city and not a shrub city," the resident said. "It is important that we look at the tree inventory report and see what species were taken down during the storm."
Among the 516 village trees lost to Sandy, the majority were oak. Kevin Ocker, chairman of cultural and recreational affairs, said that all the downed trees have been cut into 11-foot logs and could be sold for approximately $100 per foot.
Village administrator Robert Schoelle said he's reached out to three universities to invite students in the landscape architecture program to use the village as their "palette" so to speak to help Garden City with re-planting efforts following the widespread storm damage.
He sent letters to the landscape architecture programs at Cornell, where, incidentally, Ocker and village arborist Mike Didyk graduated, Syracuse and City University of New York.
Students could help with selection of species and more during the planning stages for re-planting on residential streets. “Mr. Ocker and I are actively engaged in talking with universities to ... explore which best tree re-plantings should be implemented in the future," Schoelle said.
Ocker said approximately 27 or 30 pieces of trees could be salvaged though no price exists as of yet.
Mayor Brudie expressed concern for the great loss of trees. “We need to decide how to handle these trees in the future,” he said. “Everything went west. We have to be careful. We don’t want to hurt anyone or have any homes unnecessarily damaged.”
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